Whats happening in Ireland during 2011

Holidays in Ireland

The thought of leaving in your car, and arriving at your holiday destination after a modest drive is convincing a lot of people to holiday in Ireland. The independence of it all…. Deciding where to go without the dread of airport queues and chaos is joyful, you can forget about Car Hire, Travel Insurance, luggage restriction’s etc. Some people who want to take this new independence one step further are choosing a self catering holiday.

Picture the scene, you speak the language (maybe), you love the scenery, and as for the pubs and culture, the crack is mighty. There really is something for everyone if you choose an Irish Holiday Home Rental.

The Rose of Tralee International Festival is one of Ireland’s largest and longest running festivals since 1959. The heart of the festival is the selection of the Rose of Tralee which brings young women of Irish descent from around the world to County Kerry for a global celebration of Irish culture.

The festival also includes street entertainment, carnival, live concerts, theatre, circus, markets, funfair, fireworks and the internationally renowned Rose Parade. There is always something to suit all ages throughout the five-days of the festival.

Accommodation providers, publicans, shop-keepers and taxi drivers are always waiting to offer a warm welcome, good food, refreshing drinks and a safe journey from event to event. Ireland’s favourite family festival always promises to present a splash of colour, a big wave from the 32 Roses and a magnificent line-up of free entertainment.

Each summer for 10 days in August the Kilkenny Arts Festival brings the very best in Irish and international visual art, classical music, theatre and dance, jazz, world & traditional Irish music, literature, film, indie music, craft, children’s and street events.

Running from 10 to 19 August, this year’s festival promises our usual eclectic, entertaining and energetic presentation of the very best in contemporary arts. Join us and experience this unique celebration at the 39th year of the Kilkenny Arts Festival.

This Year Festival welcomes Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to Ireland for the first time and they will stage Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “As You Like It”, at Kilkenny Castle in Castle Yard, Kilkenny. . Tickets go on sale today. Other theatre events will take place at St. Canice’s Cathedral and The Set Theatre. Book now online.

Amongst many other events at the Kilkenny Arts Festival the Festival Choir will take place again this year, due to the success of previous year’s choral events, the festival is again calling for members of choirs from throughout Ireland to take part in an exclusive choral project that will run during 2012 festival.

Packed with lots of fun and food delights, the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival featured a food village packed with food stalls and tasting sessions with everything from top quality seafood to freshly sourced local foods from some of the region’s finest restaurants and artisans. Other food events included cookery demonstrations, wine-tasting events and prawn shelling competitions. During the day there was street entertainment and a programme of walks, talks and seaside antics. As the sun went down over Howth Harbour the fun continue as each evening the festival offer choices such as a Mystery Dine Around, Fireworks on the Harbour and in-house musical entertainment in Howth’s Pubs.

Highlights to include:

Friday – from 7pm: Mystery Dine Around in Howth’s fantastic restaurants and bars, starting with a welcoming glass of fizz, followed by 3 courses (featuring our iconic Dublin Bay Prawn of course)and accompanied by a glass of wine and then finishing with a leisurely drink in one of Howth’s hottest night spots. Price is €60 all inclusive.

In addition, for the whole weekend, Howth’s restaurants will feature a €30 Festival Menu which once again will include Dublin Bay Prawns in the 3 course line up and the Pubs will have a €12 offer which again includes Prawns and a drink.

On Saturday there will be a host of events including a “Street Food Fair” hosted by Howth’s Restaurants on the Harbour and Cooking Demonstrations by the Kitchen in the Castle Cookery School as well as music, kids entertainment, funfair and tradtional fishing skills demos, rescue skills demos by the RNLI and all kinds of other walks and talks. After the sun sets and as a precursor to dessert in all of our restaurants we’ll have Fireworks from the Martello tower over Howth Harbour at 10 pm.

Cork World Book Fest combines readings by world class writers in a variety of settings – Claire Keegan, Alistair MacLeod, John Banville, Derek Mahon, Carol Ann Duffy, Bernard O’Donoghue, Moya Cannon have all featured at previous Fests, 2005-2011 – with a cultural street fair with book stalls, music, street entertainment, the spoken word and more.

It is a participative, inclusive event, involving members of book clubs based in the City’s libraries and other readers groups, giving audiences who would not normally attend literary events a chance to experience readings by leading Irish and international writers.

The Russell Memorial Weekend is a traditional festival held in Doolin on the the last full weekend in February each year. Enjoy a weekend of traditional music, song and dance with workshops in several instruments. The festival began in 1995 as a remembrance ceremony to Micho Russell, the world-famous traditional musician, who died in 1994.

UCC Irish Traditional Music Society (Tradsoc) is proud to announce that UCC Tradsoc Tradfest returns to venues around Cork city this February. It offers the best of traditional acts from Cork and around the country taking part. Events include free lunchtime concerts, a céilí, sessions and much more.